This invention relates to a lighting assembly and more particularly a self-contained light assembly for use on vehicle wheels.
It is the very essence of human nature to desire a decoration that is exclusive to a particular person. This desire is replete throughout history. The caveman has his jewelery. People continue to decorate themselves with jewelery and other ornaments today.
Even with the domestication of animals to assist the human race in the functions of life, people continue the decorative scheme and apply it to their animals. Such decorations can even be combined with safety. Colorful and distinctly decorated armor, used by knights for their war horses, clearly serves both a safety and a decorative function.
With the advent of the automobile and other vehicles to replace the animal, this desire for decoration passes to the vehicle. Typical vehicle decorations are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,340,389 to Paul S. Senseman, and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,548,185 to Wilbert Hall, these patents being incorporated herein by reference.
In particular, heavy duty trucks desire unique decorations for the purpose of distinguishing the truck and identifying its owner. Wheel decorations and lights can to the aesthetic appearance and safety of a heavy duty truck. If these decorations can add to safety, more desirable results, than the purely aesthetic appearance improvement, are achieved. No adequate device exists for applying lights to the wheels of a heavy duty truck.
Lights on the side of the vehicle help identify the position of the vehicle relative to other vehicles. With this part of the vehicle illuminated, avoidance of the vehicle becomes more simple. Lights make a vehicle more visible. A visible vehicle is more easily avoided. If an opposing vehicle can be avoided, accidents can be avoided, and the desired results of avoiding the accident and resultant damage are obtained.
It is difficult to provide such side lighting on vehicles. The location of the side lighting is especially desired on the wheels for decorative and other suitable purposes. The vibrations caused by the bouncing of the wheels are not conducive to long bulb life and continued functioning of the light.
It is also difficult to make these lighting kits easy to install without a substantial amount of rewiring and reworking of the vehicle. Difficulty of installation minimizes the chance of attempting the installation, and thus precludes the safety and decorative advantages.
If a lighting device could be applied to the side of the vehicle and especially to heavy truck to achieve and improve the aesthetic appearance while at the same time promoting safety with a durability of the light installation, great advantages can be obtained.